1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to door latches and, more particularly, latches for restricting the full opening of a cabinet door or drawer to a limited extent.
2. Description of Related Art
The curiosity of toddlers and young children is unbounded. Such curiosity causes them to open cabinet doors and drawers within reach. Often, the corresponding cabinets and drawers contain articles or chemicals which may be or will be injurious if ingested or otherwise have a likelihood of causing injury. To prevent access by toddlers and young children to cabinets and drawers, various locking and latching mechanisms have been used.
The use of key operated or combination operated locks on cabinets and drawers are very effective guards against unwanted access by toddlers and young children. However, such locking mechanisms are inconvenient and irritating to adults who wish periodic or regular access and therefore such mechanisms are seldom used. To avoid the use of locking mechanisms, various latches have been developed and some of which are presently commercially available. These latches generally include a single prong attached to a cabinet door or drawer front. Upon closing of the cabinet door or drawer, a hook or the like at the distal end of the prong engages a depression or other receiver formed in an anchor mounted within the cabinet or the top of the drawer compartment. These latches permit limited opening of the cabinet door or drawer to provide manual access to the prong. By depressing the prong, it becomes disengaged from the anchor to permit the cabinet door or drawer to be fully opened. Young children, or even toddlers, can quickly discover that it is possible to open the cabinet door or drawer by pushing on such a prong. Thus, the latch becomes ineffective to serve the purpose intended and the child is at risk.